The Azure Dragon

by Vladimir Vasilenko

  I didn't answer. We had just reached a fork in the road, and Genghis patted me on the shoulder and turned towards the path leading to the main gate.

  "Good luck, Mongoose! That's your only hope."

  I breathed a sigh of relief as I followed him with my gaze. His posture and gait gave away the old warrior, and even a top-notch suit wouldn't hide it. It's just that he was too cunning for an ordinary soldier. He penetrated your mind.

  On the way to my building, I passed a short maple alley and walked past the shooting range that was unusually crowded. There were only three targets, but a dozen or two onlookers had already gathered near the only shooter.

  Edge.

  She seemed to openly rebel the local uniform as she still flaunted in her short denim shorts and a windbreaker on top of a tight tank. Fortunately, the weather allowed for that. Now she took off her windbreaker and tied it around her waist, covering her behind. She was holding some elaborate sports bow with tight flat limbs made of white plastic. On the left forearm, she had a white protective plastic cuff.

  She threw up her bow, pulled back the bowstring, and froze for a few seconds. Like the rest of the observers, I stopped, involuntarily staring at her chiseled slender figure. There was something mesmerizing and predatory in her stance—it's as if she had the power that was dormant, waiting to be unleashed, similar to a released arrow. At the same time, this hidden power co-existed with nonchalance. She was focused but not stressed. The bow seemed a natural extension of her arm, and a faint smile played on her lips. Only for a brief moment, just before releasing the arrow, she stopped chewing her gum and seemed to even hold her breath.

  Briefly, the string snapped, and the arrow flashed in the air with snow-white plumage. Bulls eye. From fifty-five yards. Of course, she got it. There was already half a dozen of them sticking out next to the last arrow.

  Genghis’s soldiers burst into applause, and Edge playfully bowed. She noticed me and winked, blowing an unruly string of hair off her forehead.

  I continued walking to my building.

  Thankfully, the showers in the residential building were modern, although they were connected directly to the existing water system with old iron pipes. Shiny brand-new glass and chrome metal capsules looked strange in shabby bathrooms with cracked ceramic tiles on the walls. It would be equal to an alien ship landing in a barn of a medieval peasant.

  Tight hot jets quickly washed away the dust and dirt. Soap stung the abrasions on my body, and I hissed like an angry cat. It sucked that such minor injuries would not heal completely in a couple of hours like they would in Artar. At this rate, I soon would be covered with bruises all over.

  Once again, I caught myself thinking that this "here" is perceived as an annoying delay before the next dive into Artar. Here—meaning not in Genghis's camp but in the real world.

  On the one hand, I knew what the problem was. I got addicted to the game. Escapism is not a new thing. When I was doing parkour and shooting extreme videos, I was so into that, I forgot to eat and slept for only four hours a day.

  However, this was something different. Sessions in Eidos did not take real time. This new obsession did not fill my life—instead, it gave me a second one. The old one wasn't going anywhere, and I had to do something about it, which ruined the whole idea of escapism. My problems weren't going anywhere, and I just procrastinated dealing with them.

  What problems am I talking about? The more I thought about what used to give me a lot of torments, the more I began to see that I was just a spoiled brat. I had not known real problems in life, the ones where you didn’t know what tomorrow might bring. I thought of Doc, watching his wife wither away. I thought of Kata, who lost her mother and dealt with the fact that it was partially her fault. Her conscience was probably plagued by despair, torn apart as if by a pack of hungry incanaby.

  So what about me? Everything that happened to me was my own fault. It was time to grow up, damn it! What was strange is that I've come to this realization not through my mother's entreaties or father's preaching, not even through the short period of studying at the University, but rather through my conversations with Bao. I don't know how it happened that an NPC from the virtual world was a much better teacher to me than anyone else from real life.

  Maybe it was because he had no problem hitting me in the head when I was doing something wrong.

  I threw the camouflage soaked in sweat in the washing machine. I was glad that the laundry room was on my floor. I changed into a replacement uniform and headed to the main building. My stomach growled invitingly, demanding fuel—the effects of a morning workout.

  I was late and when I got there, the dining room was packed, and there was a line in the kitchen with microwaves and coffee makers. I took a tray, a box of rations, and found my crew. There wasn't much room at their table, but it was quite possible to squeeze in. Especially considering that Daniel was not there. He must have been kept in the medical building.

  "Where do you think you're going, kid?" Bers snapped at me when I tried to sit on the edge of the bench. "Go find another place!"

  "Come on, Costa, move!" Sting stood up for me.

  "He should sit at another table!" Terekhov cut off.

  "What the hell?" Kata freaked out. "When are you going to stop nagging him?"

  "I said he should find his own spot!"

  I silently turned around and walked away from the table.

  "Uh, what are you guys doing?" Sting muttered in frustration. Kata wanted to say something too, but Terekhov rudely cut her off.

  I resisted the urge to curse. Of course, they needed to play to the crowd again so that Genghis and his men thought that we have discord within the squad. But resentment was still bubbling in my chest.

  Oh, who cares! Screw them all!

  "Hey, Mongoose! Over here!"

  I turned to the voice and saw Viper invitingly waving at me and pointing to the vacant place next to him. He sat at a small square table for two people in the corner.

  At first, we were eating in silence. Well, actually, I was the one who was trying to get the food down and get out of there. Viper, on the contrary, did not shut his mouth once.

  "By the way, Genghis called me in this morning. In real life. He asked for a detailed report on yesterday's exploration. He was impressed. He asked a lot about you."

  "Impressed?" I asked him incredulously.

  "Well, of course, he didn't show it—it's Genghis! He's so stern that he doesn't smile even to himself in the mirror. But I could sense he was interested in you. Actually, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have found a damn thing yesterday. We would have only wasted our time in the jungle."

  "Yep.”

  So that's why he was all over me. Viper put a word in for me this morning. How nice of him.

  I continued to chew on my food, struggling to try and not look at my team.

  "Well, what's with the gloomy face?" Viper wouldn't leave me alone. "Did you get into a fight with your team? What's your deal, guys?"

  "Why would you care?"

  "It's just..." He shrugged. "Curiosity. Genghis didn't tell me much about you. The day before your arrival, he gathered everyone on the parade ground and announced that a squad of newcomers will arrive. He said you weren't noobs. Told us you were part of the Hounds and play in Artar since the start. I was blown away. I didn't know there were other Hound squads."

  "It was a surprise for us, too, believe me," I grumbled.

  "Genghis refused to answer any questions, which caused a lot of rumors around. Everyone here had to undergo a rigorous selection process. So now some of us are afraid that because of you, they will eliminate others in a week or two. That's why Bison jumped at you last night. No offense. He is a great man."

  "We're not taking anyone's place. We arrived as reinforcements for an important mission. It sounds like we’re here for a week and a half. And then... I don't know. I hope we can get out and play on our own."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Well, g
o to Genghis and ask him yourself!"

  "Yeah, you're kidding me!" Viper hemmed. "Every time I see him in Artar, my knees buckle. And here, no one wants to bother him without a good reason."

  "Do you know anything about the upcoming task mission? The one that we were called for?"

  "Nope. I overheard something. It sounds like a search party will be formed for a long trip into the jungle. Genghis himself will go with a team of the best soldiers. But it has nothing to do with us. I was assigned to you for the nearest future. I will be your guide."

  His face started gleaming as if he was assigned as a massage therapist for the women's beach volleyball team.

  "So we're not included in this search party? Then why the hell does he even need us?"

  "Go and ask him yourself!"

  He finished his meal and put his plastic wear on the plate.

  "Well, jokes aside. He will give you the instructions today in Artar. As far as I understand, we will need to continue yesterday's exploration. More than half the squad will leave with him. Only newbies will stay in the camp. They will need backup. We don't want to lose this new camp. They say the monkeys attacked it yesterday while we were on our reconnaissance mission.”

  "Does the new camp have a Source?"

  "Nope. That's what's weird. Apparently, they want to completely drive people out of the jungle. So we will have to figure out how to deal with them."

  So, that's the thing!

  It appears that we were live bait for Genghis. We'd be dealing with vanaras, getting our butts kicked, trying to protect the camp while he and his search party went deep into the jungle. Yeah, Terekhov was right: he only needed us as cannon fodder. He'd do the job and curry favor with Clam. And we wouldn’t even know what the mission was. We'd generally be out of the picture, only doing all the dirty work for him, diverting vanaras' attention! In addition to that, he assigned his own man to our squad to keep us in check. I was pretty sure Viper had the medallion with a chat so he could rat on us anytime.

  That bastard! We're beset on all sides. Doc is our only hope—maybe he could dig something up.

  "All right, I'm gonna go back to my room," I said, finishing the last bite. "I wanna get some rest. You tore my guts out, man.”

  Viper spread his arms apologetically, but his face gave away that he was proud of himself.

  "Yes, get some rest. But remember, at three o'clock, we must be back at the training ground. There'll be a second session before dinner. We cannot skip it!"

  "Yeah, yeah, I got it," I grumbled. "Your trainers are beasts.”

  "You'll be thanking them in a week."

  I felt shitty all the way to my room. Scraps of conversations with Genghis and Viper were spinning in my head. There was a lot going on. It felt uneasy, knowing that something was brewing. Something that could change the whole situation. And everything depended on what decisions I made.

  What the hell. I was attracted to Artar because of adventures and the chance for the second life that was more vivid and saturated than the real one. There were plenty of adventures here, but this new life turned out not so cheerful and carefree, as I thought.

  Could Genghis be right, and you can't run away from yourself?

  Having entered my room, I involuntarily stopped in the doorway. Edge was lounging on my bed. She was lying on her stomach, childishly dangling her bent legs. On the cushion in front of her, she set an ancient tablet with a touch screen. She was playing some game on it. She looked like she was just out of the shower: her hair was wet, and she was wrapped in a towel. From where I stood, I could see much of what the towel was supposed to cover.

  She was so consumed by the game that she didn't hear me come in. So I coughed, trying to get her attention.

  "Hey, do you know how to knock?" Indignantly, she turned to me and hurriedly pulled the towel up.

  "What the hell are you…"

  ...doing in my room, I wanted to say, but then finally noticed that the furniture was arranged a bit differently and realized that it was my fault—I got the wrong door. The hall was dark, and all the doors looked the same. Mine was next.

  "Ugh, d-damn it! Sorry, I…"

  I got hot flashes like a fifth grader caught in a girls' locker room. I felt like smoke was coming out of my ears.

  Edge rolled over to the side and quizzically watched me, holding the towel to her chest with her hand.

  "So are we roommates then?" She guessed. "Well, you should swing by sometime. You never know, you might get bored at night. Don't forget to knock next time! There are no locks on these doors yet. I already asked and was told that they will be installed soon."

  "Yeah," I grunted, backing away. "You should be more careful. Next time it might be some perverted local, and you're almost naked here."

  "All locals are in the barracks. It's just our squad here," she said, winking. "Okay, you go now, stop staring!"

  "I'm not..." I flushed even more, and, finally, slammed the door behind me.

  In the hall, I almost ran into Kata, Sting, and Bers—they were going to their rooms, which were farther down the hall next to the stairwell. Kata gave me a puzzled look and glanced at the door. Sting made a meaningful face, secretly showing me a thumb. Supposedly secretly—because his antics were perfectly visible to the others.

  I cursed under my breath and ducked into my room, where I plopped down on my bed, staring at the dirty ceiling with a lonely light bulb hanging there.

  Why did I get so nervous like a teenager? Apparently, I haven't had a girl for a long time. My year in Moscow wasn't very successful as far as dating and commitment. Most of them were short-lived. I didn't fall for anybody. Dating has never been on my priority list, and it was even less so now, but for some reason, every time I saw Kata, I remembered our night in Artar. Artar was different. Real life is much more complicated. In addition to everything, Edge was acting weird with me. I couldn’t get if she was flirting or making fun of me, but I knew that it made Kata annoyed as hell.

  Well, great! All I need now is a love drama!

  To distract myself, I opened up a virtual screen in front of me. I wanted to go online, but once again I got the message, saying that the NCI communication node was disconnected. Now I cursed out loud. Taking the Internet from the modern man was like throwing a cover on a cage with a parrot. I was completely cut off from the outside world. How did people live without it? How did they pass time?

  I sighed. My muscles were sore after the workout this morning, and my bruises ached. In an hour and a half, I had to be back on the training ground. Just thinking about it made me want to cry.

  At least, this was temporary. Everything will be resolved soon. In a week, two at the most. In the meantime, I'll go to the end. Maybe Genghis is right, and Terekhov's team is a bunch of hopeless outsiders. But it's my team, damn it!

  The Hounds don't bail on their own!

  Chapter 8. At the Split Rock

  The Xy camp at the Split Rock resembled something between a tiny market and a traveling circus. Several colored canvas tents strung out under the scorching sun on a small cleared patch of vegetation. Next to the tents flags with large hieroglyphics fluttered in the wind. Alas, I could not read Xilay, but I hardly think any player could.

  Despite the modest size of the camp, Doc and I managed to get stuck there for half an hour. The necromancer obsessively studied the selection of goods at a Xy alchemist's stand. At first, I thought I could just wait it out, but when at Doc's request, the cat started to pull out crates full of powders and herbs, I realized that I wasn't going to get out of there anytime soon. Out of curiosity, I looked at the ingredients too. The majority of them were quite rare because the system either refused to give hints or confined to a few words. So all I could do was guess.

  "What's that? They look like some kind of black-eyed peas…"

  "These are dried roe of incanaby," solemnly responded the leopard-looking Xilay, taking the jar from me and setting it back on the counter. "Six silver coins for a dozen eggs."


  "What robbery!" I was indignant, although I had no idea about the cost of incanaby caviar in Artar gold. "Would you take four coins for it?"

  The Xilay hissed like a cat and resentfully turned away, arms crossed on his chest.

  "Don't listen to my friend, dear!" Doc started. "I'll take six!"

  He took almost half of the merchant's stock, and turning to me, hissed conspiratorially.

  "What are you doing? They ask two or three silver coins per egg at the auction!"

  I gave him a pained look. It's good that I didn't become a mage and got into any sort of trade—it wasn’t for me. I just wanted to go to some unexplored places. Or at least fight.

  "Well, what's this then? Someone's teeth?"

  "Dried Marang fruit."

  "And this? Looks like cold oatmeal."

  "Troll fat."

  "Wrong again... And this? Some sort of caviar too?"

  "Eyes of a tree lizard."

  "Oh, right. Those are the pupils... And this? Looks like someone blew their nose into a bottle."

  "Gray warty toad slime."

  "How appetizing," wincing, I put the bottle away. "Oh, that looks pretty good. Some fruit?"

  I pointed to a slice of something pale orange and translucent like a big seedless orange. Suddenly, it moved.

  "Live Tuco-Tuco larvae. I wouldn't advise touching them with your hands."

  "Ugh, gross! What's this stinky ball? Some kind of fruit, too? Does it cost a lot of money?”

  The Kh took a brown spool from me, sniffed it, snorted in disgust, and threw it away.

  "No, this is not a commodity," he complained and looked up at the tree branches, hanging above the counter. "Damn monkeys. They shit everywhere."

  What the hell! No, alchemy was definitely not for me. I wiped my hands on my pants and nudged Doc with my elbow.

  "Well, are you done?"

  "One sec, I want to look at the minerals."